President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono has received a letter from Myanmar military junta chief Sr. Gen. Tan Shwe assuring him of a continuing democratic process in the country, Presidential spokesman Dino Patti Djalal said Friday.

"The President received a letter from Gen. Tan Shwe on Thursday afternoon. This is a reply to a letter by the President. Gen. Tan Shwe has expressed commitment on the roadmap to democratic process," he said at the Presidential office.

In his letter, the junta chief conveyed his willingness to continue his correspondence and communication with Yudhoyono.

"This is a unique process as every one of the President's letters has been replied by Gen. Tan Shwe," Dino said.

Yudhoyono has repeatedly underlined the importance of his continued communication with Tan Shwe, citing that the link could improve Indonesia's interaction with Myanmarese generals.

The President has expressed belief the Myanmar's military junta should be given a chance to implement its democratic roadmap, urging the international community to empathize with the junta's fears of Myanmar disintegrating should their grip slacken.

Myanmar's military junta has proposed a constitution that is set to go before voters during a referendum next month, and it has said it aims to hold a 2010 general election.

The international community has criticized the junta for being opaque in the formation of its constitution and for not letting the National League for Democracy (NLD), a party led by detained Nobel laureate Aung San Suu Kyi, join the election.

Myanmar has been ruled by the military since 1962. The NLD won a landslide victory during elections held in 1990, but the junta forbade them to take office. Suu Kyi has been kept under house arrest for 12 of the last 18 years.

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